The basic operation of hard disk drives (HDDs) is well known in the art. It is also known that HDDs are complex electromechanical units and, as such, are subject to a wide variety of failure mechanisms. Microscopic defects in the magnetic coding materials used on the platter, contamination of the platter with dust, dirt or magnetic particles and aging can all cause data loss. As with all electronics, random failure can occur from a wide variety of underlying physical processes or small defects associated with manufacturing processes. Moving parts are subject to friction and wear out over time which can also cause HDD assemblies to fail.